Stimming

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I used to think I didn't' stim, but the criteria seems to be wider than I imagined. I don't and have never flapped my hands, I have avoided feet taping and such like as I was told and/felt that it would make my anxiety worse. I rock a little sometimes but I don't think anyone knows, its very slight. I find I am increasing foot tapping and twitching my shoulders forward (which I quite enjoy) The question I ask is when people stim, rocking I guess, is it a concuss act, i.e I am feeling anxious and if I rock for a while it will relieve it? I am anxious a lot, most of the time in fact. I usually put myself to bed until I feel better. When I am like this I get the usual crushing chest feelings but also a certain taste in my mouth, butterflies, tingly skin and a horrible restlessness. I find going for a walk makes me worse, thoughts crash round my head and I just do not know what to do with myself and my attention span evaporates, I hate it. I find that playing my slide guitar helps. I wondered if playing the guitar is almost like legalised stimming.

Forget it, I just found this: viewtopic.php?t=210473

I have been over thinking this (really, well I never!) I stim alright, its often subtle feet tapping rubbing my hands over things (god I love the feel of the cover of my Mac, I could rub it all day. My wife sometimes holds my hand when she sees me start to get twitchy and tells me to relax...I only wish I could. I don't know what to do with myself sometimes

Is your question about stimming being conscious or semiconscious? If that is what you are trying to ask, then stimming is a voluntary movement, but you may not always realize you are doing it. I agree you are over thinking things a bit, but that is completely normal to doubt whether you have certain behaviors needed for the diagnosis of autism. I went through thew same thing. At first, I was almost completely convinced, and then I started to doubt that I had ASD more and more when I read things like "Stimming is only rocking and flapping hands, not pacing" or "You have to blab on and on about a special interest all day to be considered autistic." These aren't true, of course, but my point is that you are just over thinking things too much. The good news is that it's normal for us autistics to over think things like that .

The original definition of a stim was "A full-body movement," which included rocking, swaying, hand-flapping, etc. A constant repetitive motion that acted to soothe anxiety.

Over the last few years, people have started throwing in all sorts of habitual "fidgeting" behaviors, like hair twisting, fingernail biting, and so on, which may be expressions of anxiety, but are by no means soothing.

I realize I'm in the minority when it comes to pointing out the difference between the two, since differentiating between them excludes a lot of people from being able to jump on the autism bandwagon, but I still maintain there's a HUGE difference. Everybody has nervous fidgets, that have nothing to do with autism.

An autistic stim is unmistakable and impossible to miss. A stim is also constant and nonstop, except some periods when the brain is focused on a specific task. Otherwise, trying to stop a stim will only increase anxiety.

I would suggest that stimming, like autism itself, is probably a spectrum. I don't think it's correct to say that a behaviour is not stimming at all because there isn't enough body movement, but at the same time, I can easily agree that a full body rock is more significant than hair twisting (and also less socially acceptable in an NT world).

My own experience with stimming is that it usually starts sub-consciously, but might continue consciously. If I consciously start to do it, it doesn't seem to have the same effect on me as if I realised I was doing after I started.

I was diagnosed with HFA about a month and a half ago, and I, like the OP, don't seem to do any of the classic stims. What I do do is rub my eyebrows a lot, blow air into the sleeve of my shirt, scratch my fingers with my finger nails, bite my nails, and rub my hands together a lot (sometimes one hand, sometimes both). I guess, based on the definition from will@rd, none of these likely qualify as a stim, but when I observe people around me, I sure seem to do them way more than the general population.

[quote="StampySquiddyFan"] but that is completely normal to doubt whether you have certain behaviors needed for the diagnosis of autism./quote]

My diagnosis is beyond doubt, but I have only seen people (kids and adults) with classic autism really obviously stim. There seems to be much talk on here of things which I thought everyone did when they are anxious, and like lots of autistic people I am anxious most of the time so engage in many of them, foot tapping, finger tapping, rubbing surfaces which are pleasing etc. I do gently rock and that appears to automatic when it occurs.

I do obsess and over think everything, I live in my own head and I wish I didn't I do also blab on all day about my special interest, I wish I did not do that either but I honestly either not interested in anything else or have no idea what else to talk about, I am lost if I do.

I get it. I'm anxious almost all of the time as well, so I can't tell if it is my stimming or just anxiety. I enjoy infodumping about my special interests- not sharing them . I hope you can find a way to deal with over thinking things- it's really hard!

er...just a little. Ans you are right, it is a info dump. I usually can't tell if some is bored until they walk off, sometimes I don't care, but can't stop until I have finished my little tutorial. My poor wife had been very patient bless her

My mom has been very patient with my infodumps lol. Most of the time, I just don't care because I have to talk about whatever my interest is. It's so interesting! Why don't other people think it's interesting too?!

I used to not have excellent responses to my info-dumps.

Hah neither does my brother .

I know, I know...Theory of mind works in mysterious ways...its wonders to perform

Lol #almostfailedtheSallyAnneTestatage13!

Theory of Mind is great. I wish I had some lol ! (Joking)

I think overt stimming usually occurs in little kids and those with more severe autism. For most adult aspies it's probably more a matter of having trouble staying still. In high school now I notice 17/18 year old high functioning don't do much/any classic stimming.

Full blown autistic stimming puts one in the category of looking like a "total spaz" or "completely ret*d" to the average person observing. That there is something blatantly unmistakably wrong with that person. Autistics who have actual classic stimming are not the type who can pass as NT.

Thats my take on it too..

Thanks for the reply's chaps

I do think thogh aspies are more prone to types of fidgeting/stimming and can have a lot of difficulty suppressing it. Also I remember a severely autistic boy in school who sat completely still like a sack of potatoes all the time and I envied him. There's always exceptions and variables and all that.